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Top Fives
Eric Koreen, National Post
Published: Monday, July 23, 2007 Article tools
GOALS
5. Giovanni Dos Santos, Mexico (vs. Gambia, July 2 in Toronto)
os Santos takes advantage of a terrible first touch by a Gambian defender, and whips a left footer into the top of the net from just inside the box.
4. Amaral, Brazil (vs. South Korea, July 3 in Montreal): Amaral steals the ball in the midfield, steps around two Korean defenders, splits two more, and finishes on the ground as he is being dragged to the field. He then runs around with the ball under his shirt as if he were pregnant.
3. Freddy Adu, United States (vs. Poland, July 3 in Ottawa): Closely marked at the left edge of the box, Adu spins almost 360 degrees before unleashes a wicked shot with his left foot that finds the inside of the far post.
2. Leandro Lima, Brazil (vs. Spain, July 11 in Burnaby): Lima takes a bouncing cross off his chest, then uses a half-bicycle kick to drill the ball by keeper Adan and between two helpless Spanish defenders.
1. Sergio Aguero, Argentina (vs. Poland, July 12 in Toronto): Aguero gets the ball in a rather harmless position, with his back to the goal. But the Argentine flips the ball up, lets it bounce, flicks it over the head of a Polish defender, then uses his left foot to rip the finish out of mid-air.
UPSETS
5. Gambia 2 Portugal 1 (Group C, July 8 in Montreal): The Gambians split their opening two games (losing to Mexico and edging New Zealand), then put it all together after allowing an early goal against Portugal.Despite allowing an early goal--and playing with 10 men for 31 minutes -- the Gambians pulled off the upset when substitute Abdoulie Mansally scored on a free kick in the 68th minute.
4. United States 2 Brazil 1 (Group D, July 6 in Ottawa: ): Freddy Adu, fresh off a three-goal game, set up both Amercian goals to prove, at age 18, he wasn't over the hill just yet.
3. Czech Republic 1 Spain 1 -- Czechs win 4-3 on penalties (Quarter- final, July 14 in Edmonton): After beating Brazil, Spain looked to have a relatively clear path to the final. The Czechs had other ideas. Despite blowing a lead in extra time, the Czechs got the better of the favourites in penalties, with Radek Petr making the final save to clinch the win.
2. Austria 2 United States 1 (Quarter- finals, July 14 in Toronto): The U.S. had gone from underdog to favourite, while the Austrians were seen as another conservative roadblock. But Austria's closer Erwin (Jimmy)Hoffer put the dagger into the Americans in extra time.
1. Poland 1, Brazil 0 (Group D, June 30 in Montreal):Opening day. The tournament favourites against a European unknown. But Grzegorz Kyrchowiak scored early on in the game with a brilliant free kick, and despite going down to 10 men in the 27th minute, Poland held off Brazil.
PLAYERS
5. Erwin Hoffer, Austria He started in just four of his team's six games, but Jimmy Hoffer was one of the biggest characters in the tournament, with his moniker shaved into his hair above his left ear and two game-winning goals in the knockout stage.
4. Adrian Lopez, Spain A tough choice between Lopez and the tireless Diego Capel. But Lopez's five goals led Spain and were second only to Argentina's Sergio Aguero in the tournament.
3. Freddy Adu, United States It was a coming-out party for the 18-year-old MLS veteran.Three goals against Poland. Two sterling set-ups in an American upset over Brazil. But his brilliance ran out in the quarter-finals against Austria, when his sparkling runs were too little, too late.
2. Giovanni Dos Santos, Mexico There are great performances, and then there are matches where one player almost single-handedly wins a game, like Dos Santos's effort in a 2-1 win over Portugal. He scored a goal--as he did in Mexico's two other group-stage victories --and controlled the ball with absolute precision.
1. Sergio Aguero, Argentina The youngest player to ever suit up in the Argentine first division was a revelation, a 5-foot-7 dynamo who won the Golden Shoe with six goals, including the equalizer in yesterday's championship game. Aguero also led the voting as the tournament's best player and will get a Golden Ball to go along with his Golden Shoe. The double award feat is was done in 2005 when Argentina's Lionel Messi won both awards and his team won the tournament.
Eric Koreen, National Post
Published: Monday, July 23, 2007 Article tools
GOALS
5. Giovanni Dos Santos, Mexico (vs. Gambia, July 2 in Toronto)
os Santos takes advantage of a terrible first touch by a Gambian defender, and whips a left footer into the top of the net from just inside the box. 4. Amaral, Brazil (vs. South Korea, July 3 in Montreal): Amaral steals the ball in the midfield, steps around two Korean defenders, splits two more, and finishes on the ground as he is being dragged to the field. He then runs around with the ball under his shirt as if he were pregnant.
3. Freddy Adu, United States (vs. Poland, July 3 in Ottawa): Closely marked at the left edge of the box, Adu spins almost 360 degrees before unleashes a wicked shot with his left foot that finds the inside of the far post.
2. Leandro Lima, Brazil (vs. Spain, July 11 in Burnaby): Lima takes a bouncing cross off his chest, then uses a half-bicycle kick to drill the ball by keeper Adan and between two helpless Spanish defenders.
1. Sergio Aguero, Argentina (vs. Poland, July 12 in Toronto): Aguero gets the ball in a rather harmless position, with his back to the goal. But the Argentine flips the ball up, lets it bounce, flicks it over the head of a Polish defender, then uses his left foot to rip the finish out of mid-air.
UPSETS
5. Gambia 2 Portugal 1 (Group C, July 8 in Montreal): The Gambians split their opening two games (losing to Mexico and edging New Zealand), then put it all together after allowing an early goal against Portugal.Despite allowing an early goal--and playing with 10 men for 31 minutes -- the Gambians pulled off the upset when substitute Abdoulie Mansally scored on a free kick in the 68th minute.
4. United States 2 Brazil 1 (Group D, July 6 in Ottawa: ): Freddy Adu, fresh off a three-goal game, set up both Amercian goals to prove, at age 18, he wasn't over the hill just yet.
3. Czech Republic 1 Spain 1 -- Czechs win 4-3 on penalties (Quarter- final, July 14 in Edmonton): After beating Brazil, Spain looked to have a relatively clear path to the final. The Czechs had other ideas. Despite blowing a lead in extra time, the Czechs got the better of the favourites in penalties, with Radek Petr making the final save to clinch the win.
2. Austria 2 United States 1 (Quarter- finals, July 14 in Toronto): The U.S. had gone from underdog to favourite, while the Austrians were seen as another conservative roadblock. But Austria's closer Erwin (Jimmy)Hoffer put the dagger into the Americans in extra time.
1. Poland 1, Brazil 0 (Group D, June 30 in Montreal):Opening day. The tournament favourites against a European unknown. But Grzegorz Kyrchowiak scored early on in the game with a brilliant free kick, and despite going down to 10 men in the 27th minute, Poland held off Brazil.
PLAYERS
5. Erwin Hoffer, Austria He started in just four of his team's six games, but Jimmy Hoffer was one of the biggest characters in the tournament, with his moniker shaved into his hair above his left ear and two game-winning goals in the knockout stage.
4. Adrian Lopez, Spain A tough choice between Lopez and the tireless Diego Capel. But Lopez's five goals led Spain and were second only to Argentina's Sergio Aguero in the tournament.
3. Freddy Adu, United States It was a coming-out party for the 18-year-old MLS veteran.Three goals against Poland. Two sterling set-ups in an American upset over Brazil. But his brilliance ran out in the quarter-finals against Austria, when his sparkling runs were too little, too late.
2. Giovanni Dos Santos, Mexico There are great performances, and then there are matches where one player almost single-handedly wins a game, like Dos Santos's effort in a 2-1 win over Portugal. He scored a goal--as he did in Mexico's two other group-stage victories --and controlled the ball with absolute precision.
1. Sergio Aguero, Argentina The youngest player to ever suit up in the Argentine first division was a revelation, a 5-foot-7 dynamo who won the Golden Shoe with six goals, including the equalizer in yesterday's championship game. Aguero also led the voting as the tournament's best player and will get a Golden Ball to go along with his Golden Shoe. The double award feat is was done in 2005 when Argentina's Lionel Messi won both awards and his team won the tournament.
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